ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF CALCIUM HYDROXIDE-CONTAINING ENDODONTIC SEALERS ON ENTEROCOCCUS-FAECALIS IN-VITRO

Antimicrobial activity of endodontic sealers is an important factor in the prognosis of root canal treatment, The aim of this study was to a nalyse the antimicrobial activity of calcium hydroxide-containing endo dontic sealers, Sealapex (SA) and CRCS compared to a ZOE-containing se aler, Roth's cement, The sealers were mixed and placed on the side wal l of microtitre plate wells, A 10 mu L suspension of Enterococcus faec alis was added to the surface of the sealers 1 h, 24 h, or 7 days afte r mixture, Bacteria were allowed to come into contact with the sealers for 1 h at 37 degrees C. Fresh media tvas then added and bacterial gr owth was measured every 30 min for 16 h, The results showed that in 1- hour-old mixture, CRCS and Both's cement had a significantly better an timicrobial effect than SA, In 24-hour-old mixtures, ZOE-based sealer showed a more potent antimicrobial activity than calcium hydroxide-con taining sealers, whereas SA showed a significantly better antimicrobia l effect in the 7-day-old mixture, The antimicrobial activity of each tested sealer changes differently with the time interval between minin g and testing, suggesting different physicochemical properties and pot entially diverse clinical applications.